


The Carnival

by TheGreatElisaMousy



Series: Chaos in College [3]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Carnival, Humor (Kinda), I did warn you though, I'm Sorry, M/M, Pain, This Was Supposed To Be Funnier, and Wil is a good boyfriend, but Dark is in a lot of pain, but really worried
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:02:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21941857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGreatElisaMousy/pseuds/TheGreatElisaMousy
Summary: Dark and Wil go to the First Weekend Carnival.
Relationships: Darkiplier/Wilford Warfstache, The Host/Dr. Iplier (implied)
Series: Chaos in College [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1570645
Comments: 4
Kudos: 55





	The Carnival

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Doctor_Discord](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doctor_Discord/gifts).



> Okay, after the shit the Host went through last time (I'm still sorry about that, by the way), I'm sure you're ready for some laughs. Well, hopefully you've come to the right place. Here at the beginning at least (I'm sorry).

Dark felt like his body was ready to tear itself apart as he and Wil ate in the dining hall. He had to admit, the food here in the Student Union was better than that shit in Henkel. Tomorrow would make one week since they'd arrived, one week since he'd been forced to keep his aura in at almost every waking moment.

"There's a carnival tomorrow in Caldwell," Wil commented. "We should go."

"A carnival?" Dark asked with a raised brow. "What kind of carnival?"

"I heard a few people talking about it earlier," he replied. "Some people who were here last year, and apparently they have a bunch of booths for different clubs that hand out free stuff, and there's food, and you can build your own stuffed animal... And it's not like Caldwell's all that far from the townhouse," he added. "If you feel like shit, we don't have to go."

"I always feel like shit," Dark replied plainly. "But we can go. At least for a little while. I don't know if we can stay too long..." He cracked his neck back in place discreetly. "But we can at least check it out."

Wil looked like Dark had just told him Christmas came early. "Awesome! It starts at one!"

* * *

Dark groaned softly when he awoke. The bed was empty, so he could only assume that Wil was trying to let him sleep in a little longer, probably to help make the day a little easier. He smiled a little at the thought. For a complete lunatic, Wil could be remarkably thoughtful.

His smile dropped, however, when he once again heard what had awoken him in the first place. Bim was downstairs, yelling for everyone to get up for breakfast. The man had mentioned something about group weekend breakfasts earlier in the week, but no one had really taken him seriously. Dark was now regretting that.

Snapping several vertebrae back into place, Dark grabbed his cane and slowly made his way down the stairs, not caring that he was still in his pajamas. There was the expected conversation and arguing from the kitchen, and Dark suspected he was the last one up.

All conversation came to a grinding halt when he stepped into the doorway, with everyone staring directly at him.

"What?" he asked, and the only sounds he was met with were the wet smack of Bim's syrup-soaked waffle dropping off his fork back onto his plate and the dull ring—oh.

Oh no.

Dark had forgotten to withdraw his aura.

"Darky dearest?" Wil began, and Dark couldn't even find it in him to be irritated at the pet name. "You, um..."

"I know," he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. Now that he was paying attention, he could hear the distorted echo when he spoke. How the hell was he supposed to—?

"Darkiplier is a demon," the Host spoke, and Dark just stared at him as all eyes turned to the lit major. "He's been avoiding telling everyone to avoid 'unnecessary attention', but it's been causing him quite a bit of pain. The Host would have suggested telling everyone from the start." He sipped his peppermint tea. "But then, Darkiplier wouldn't exactly listen anyway."

"And you know this... how?" Silver asked.

The Host turned his head to the pre-law student and cocked his head slightly to the side an a 'really?' position. "Silver has been living with the Host for a week and he is still asking that question?"

There was another brief silence before Bing eventually spoke. "So... a demon?"

Dark nodded stiffly. This was going better than he'd honestly expected. As long as no one—

"So, were you, like, always a demon or...?" Bim started.

—asked any questions.

"Yes," he lied, ignoring the raised brows the Jims gave each other. He knew they didn't know everything—there would have been a _lot_ of intrusive questions about what happened, after all—but they definitely knew more than they often let on. Thankfully, however, they kept their mouths shut.

"Do you have any kind of... powers?" King asked, both hesitant and curious. "Other than the whole... being able to look and sound normal thing."

This, at least, was a safe direction. And while he could just easily blow them off, maybe answering a few questions would satisfy their curiosity enough that the past would be able to stay buried. "I don't die easily," he began. "I can tear a hole in reality into another dimension known as the Void and travel through it." He looked at Bim. " _That's_ how we got here without a car. But beyond that can be a bit complicated to explain. The best I can give you is that the source of my abilities, my aura, has the power to destroy this entire campus in an instant if I so desired."

"So... if we really, really pissed you off, you could...?" Ed trailed off.

"Easily," Dark replied. "Luckily for you, as you're all idiots—"

"Hey!"

"Excuse you!"

"The Host resents that remark."

"—I don't particularly want UP or the police to go digging into my business and background, so there won't be any murders. For the moment, anyway." He was joking, of course, but whether they realized it or not was entirely up to them.

Dr. Iplier looked at the Jims. "Did you two know about this?"

"Obviously," Google said dryly. "Otherwise they'd be driving us all insane with too many questions. Besides, they've lived with Darkiplier and Wilford before this. They had to have found out somehow, if he's this bad at keeping it under wraps for a long period of time."

Dark's fist clenched around his cane, but he didn't take the bait. He knew Google was testing him. The robot wanted to see how easy or difficult it would be to set him off for future reference.

Living with Wil and the Jims for several decades, however, gave the demon the patience of a _saint_ in that regard. So he simply grabbed himself a few waffles, just about to start eating when Wil put a coffee mug in his hand.

"So, is anyone going to that carnival?" CJ asked. "I hear there's gonna be a raffle."

"What's the prize supposed to be?" Bing asked curiously.

"Some money, I think," the Jim replied. "Maybe a bookstore gift card."

"Wait, how much is a raffle ticket?" Dr. Iplier asked, suddenly interested. At the looks he received, he added, "What? I'm paying tuition almost entirely out of pocket, _and_ I have to pay for proper med school after this. I'll take whatever I can get."

"I think it was, like... five dollars?" RJ piped up.

Dr. Iplier nodded to himself once before looking at the Host. "You're not doing anything around one, right?"

"Why does the Host have to go with Dr. Iplier?" the Host asked.

"Because it's boring to go alone," he responded simply.

Dark leaned back carefully in his chair, sipping his coffee as everyone else resumed conversation. That hadn't gone nearly as badly as he'd been expecting. It was a weight off his shoulders, and the relief that he wouldn't have to keep his aura hidden after returning to the townhouse every day.

He paused, a thought occurring to him. "Where did this table come from?" he asked.

"I went out and bought it the other day," Dr. Iplier replied. "Right after Bim started getting really adamant about group weekend breakfasts. Have you not been in the kitchen since Thursday?"

"Apparently not."

* * *

It only took approximately five minutes to get to Caldwell. The carnival had started about ten minutes ago, but that was fine with Dark. Everything should be completely set up by now.

As soon as they stepped inside, Wil grabbed him by the arm and started to drag him around. He stopped at every booth, making sure to grab something, usually a button, from each one. He carefully pinned them on his suspenders, and he was beginning to look more and more ridiculous. Dark shook his head and gave a small laugh at his boyfriend's antics. Even after loving the man for a little over a century—if the time before he became Dark, when he was still Damien and Celine, could be counted, which Dark absolutely did—it never got old. And he was quite certain it never would.

It wasn't until they were in line for the stuffed animals—Wil insisted—that his pain began to flare up. It had been getting worse and worse as the week progressed, and those few hours where he could relax weren't nearly enough to make up for the strain and stress that had built up. His dislocated knee buckled, and the sudden drop forced his shoulder further out of its socket as he tried to keep himself propped up with his cane. He bit his lip so hard it bled to avoid crying out, nearly gagging at the taste of his own rotten blood. The last thing he needed was someone noticing his pain, carting him off to Student Health Services, and having to try to explain his broken body. His very _dead_ broken body.

Wil caught him before he fully dropped, and while the arm under his armpit jarred the shattered bone, he was grateful for the support. He slowly forced himself up, gritting his teeth against the pain and the effort it took to keep his aura from lashing out. If he didn't get out of here soon, someone may very well die.

Once he was fully upright, he slowly bent and straightened his leg, feeling the knee lock back into place—as much as it could, anyway. It was never quite the same after the fall... He popped his shoulder back, leaning heavily on the cane for support. He looked at Wil once he was convinced he had himself under enough control. The other man looked incredibly worried, and Dark felt a huge wave of guilt wash over him. Wil had been so excited for this carnival when they decided to go, and he'd been practically bouncing once they got in line for the stuffed animals. But he could already predict the words before they left Wil's mouth.

"Let's go back," he said, and he hid the disappointment in his voice quite well. That only made Dark feel worse.

" _I'll_ go back," he told him. "You stay here, enjoy yourself."

"But—"

"I'll see you later," he promised. "And I'll be fine. Okay?"

Wil was quiet for a few moments. "Okay..." he finally relented.

Dark turned and slowly made his way out of the building, looking back as he was near the exit. Wil's perky mask was up, and the demon frowned. He _hated_ doing this to Wil, but he wasn't going to ruin the man's day just because he was struggling.

* * *

Dark had lied. As soon as he was at the townhouse, he went around back and tore open the Void, stepping through and finding himself in the forest around the manor, but far enough away that he was relatively sure he'd damage nothing but the trees. Then he let go.

His aura nearly exploded as all the pressure, all the restraint of the week was released, and he felt the smallest bit of relief. The ringing was near deafening, but he found himself not caring. Trees were blown away, torn in half, completely decimated. He remained like that for a solid five minutes as his body began to relax. Once he deemed he was ready, he slowly pulled it back in. There was a large crater in the forest, about forty feet in diameter. He couldn't remember the last time it had gotten that bad, and was very glad he'd had the foresight to travel back to the manor rather than remain in the townhouse.

But of course, even with the release, he was still exhausted. He needed a bed, _his_ bed. He wouldn't stay long, he promised himself as he began the walk to the manor. Just a short, ten minute nap.

* * *

The sun was setting when he finally came to. Dark shot up in bed, ignoring his protesting back. He checked his phone. There were over thirty texts from Wil, each more panicked than the last, and seven voicemails. The corner of the screen read 7:48.

He'd been asleep for over _six hours_.

Grabbing his cane, he tore open the Void, arriving in the kitchen where he could see Wil pacing back and forth in the living room. One of his hands gripped his hair so tightly Dark feared he'd rip it out, his other wrapped around his stomach. He was mumbling to himself, and even though he couldn't hear the words, Dark could easily detect the panic in his tone.

Everyone just stared for a second before Ed broke the silence. "Where in the hell have you been?" he asked the demon sharply, and Wil's head snapped up, eyes locking on Dark. He practically pounced on him, arms wrapping around Dark tightly. "He's been freaking out since he got back from the carnival and he nearly shot all of us at least twice."

"You said you were coming back here!" Wil said, and now his voice held an undertone of anger. "Why didn't you _text_ me, I thought something happened. I thought maybe someone took you, or you were dead..."

There was the guilt again. Dark's arms wrapped around Wil. "I needed to let go for a while," he told him. His tone turned a bit sheepish. "And then I... took a longer nap than intended. I was supposed to return before you got back..."

"Yeah, well, you didn't," Wil muttered petulantly. "Now I think maybe I shouldn't give you your present."

Dark's brows furrowed in confusion. "Present?" he asked. He let go first, and Wil pulled back a second later.

"I got you something at the carnival because we were waiting in line, and then you had an episode..."

"You got me a stuffed animal?"

"I _made_ you a stuffed animal," Wil corrected. "It's on your bed, but..." Without warning, he took off towards the stairs. For the third time that day, Dark opened the Void again, ignoring the stares. He stepped into the room he'd claimed for himself and saw the long stuffed snake, blue and striped, spread out across its length. The door slammed open a few seconds later, but the snake was already in Dark's hand.

"Too slow," he told him, and the anger and remnants of panic finally melted away from Wil's face, leaving only exhausted relief. He walked over, sat on the bed, and pulled Dark down next to him. He wrapped an arm around him, pressing a kiss to his cheek before saying, "I'm glad you're okay."

**Author's Note:**

> Oh my god, I am so sorry. This was supposed to be a lot funnier. The humor from the beginning was supposed to continue, I swear. I did not mean for that last section to happen, it just got away from me (though I knew Dark's pain was gonna flare up and Wil was gonna get him a stuffed snake).
> 
> A few explanations:  
> -Wil kinda got taken off bed rotation because more often than not, he ends up in Dark's bed. It's only a twin, but I have seen that two people can indeed sleep in a twin. It's a little crowded, but... (I hadn't thought it was possible until witnessing it)  
> -You may be wondering exactly how much the Jims know. Don't worry, I will explain it in a later story, I'm just not entirely sure how long it'll be before that goes up  
> -I know Wil is more panicked boyfriend here than nutty nutbar, but Dark was having a really, really bad time  
> -For the most part, Dark's pain should let up some. Not completely, and it may still be pretty bad some days, but with the rest of them knowing (enough) about him now, he doesn't have to pull his aura in inside the townhouse, giving him some relief. A few hours just wasn't enough time to recuperate from an entire week of that kind of strain  
> -Doc, I really hope I got Dark's intense release of his aura right. I know Bim ended up in pretty bad shape because wrong place wrong time in EHBD, so I know it can do a lot of damage  
> -Also Doc, I know Dark typically gets up early, but his body has been trying to rest from all that effort. Things should be relatively back to 'normal' from here on out.
> 
> And, as I said in Welcome to College, I accept requests. Next story is, I think, either Bing and Google fluff (probably not getting together yet, but maybe leading up to it), or everyone discovering Bim's... eating habits.


End file.
